Potatoes: The Perfect Carb

This article from the Runner's World archive explains why potatoes are the perfect carb. Don't overlook the mighty spud for fuel or recovery.

Potatoes are actually the most popular vegetable in America, but sadly more than 50 percent of those are fried--turning them into a nutritional disaster, which helps account for their bad rap. It doesn't have to be this way. "A large baked potato is just as effective as pasta at getting runners ready for a hard or long workout," says Gidus. "Runners can't go wrong with potatoes." Read More...

7 Reasons Why Running is Good for Your Soul

Today, I set out on a dirt road and just ran down any trail my feet pointed me to. The trails hid some inviting hills - one that sloped straight down and away from a small lake (two repeats there with a little vault over the wooden guard rail - woot!).Stairs built by the Boy Scouts. Deer. 

I felt like a kid again; just leaning in the wind and running until dark. It was good for my soul. 

So in celebration of tonight's run, I'm sharing Michael O'Loughlin's article 7 Reasons Why Running is Good for Your Soul.

Here's what Michael shares about his own running Odyssey. Can you relate?

Like many, I started running while in college to get in shape and lose a few pounds. I became a more dedicated runner after grad school, first finishing a 10-mile race, then a half-marathon, followed by a couple of full marathons. It was during this long-distance training that I realized that while the physical benefits were obvious and welcome, that the spiritual benefits of running were just as beneficial to me. Below are seven reasons why running is good for your soul.

1. Running Keeps You Humble
2. Running Makes You Happier
3. Running Causes Kindness
4. Running Makes You Proud, In a Good Way
5. Running Allows Time for Prayer and Meditation
6. Running Tests Your Limits
7. Running Keeps You Patient (Read More...)

Fartlek, Interval, and Tempo Runs: What's the Difference?

I don't know about you, but I hate math. So when I read articles about tempo runs and interval workouts that require me to calculate percentages of my half marathon pace multiplied by the inverse of my lactate threshold, I start to zone out.

That's why I love this calculus free introduction to speed workouts by Coach Jenny Hadfield. She breaks down the difference between fartlek, interval, and tempo workouts in a way that even this mathophobic runner can grasp.

So put down your slide rule, read this article, and go for a run.

What's the Difference Between Fartlek, Tempo, and Interval Runs? by Coach Jenny Hadfield

Better Pushups for Better Running

I love pushups - traditional pushups, diamond pushups, fingertip pushups, one-armed pushups - so this article in Competitor grabbed my attention. According to author Nate Helming, properly executed pushups can help with IT band pain, lower back pain and even help develop a more efficient arm swing.

So if pushups aren't part of your cross-training routine, check this article out and get to work.

Better Pushups for Better Running by Nate Helming

Getting Back In Shape: 4 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now

Getting in shape isn't rocket surgery. Here are five things that you can do right now - without spending a dime on gym memberships or video programs - that will start you on the road to healthier living.

1. Practice What You Know
Here's a radical idea: the next time you find yourself staring at a piece of food and saying, "I really shouldn't eat this," just stop. Don't stick it in your pie-hole. We all know a good deal more about nutrition than we practice. So start putting your know-how to use right now.

2. Don't Try To Lose Weight
Seriously. Don't do this. Instead, focus on getting healthy. Make sensible diet and exercise habits part of your life and your body will find its own ideal weight.

3. Embrace the Carbs
The low-carb diet. Just one act of craziness that people commit when trying to lose weight. Not good. Your body had three sources of energy: carbs, fats and proteins. Complex carbs, such as whole grain bread, are the easiest for your body to use. Deprive yourself of these and you won't have the stamina you need for sustained activity.

4. Do Something - Right Now
Stop reading this blog RIGHT NOW and go do something. Anything. Do a few push-ups, jog around the house, touch your toes. Do just enough to get your blood flowing and give you that nice, energized feeling.

There now. Don't you feel better? So tomorrow, do the same thing and you'll be on what fitness buffs call "an exercise program." But I'm warning you. Stick with your program and soon - very soon - your body will be asking for new and ever more challenging activities. You may become what couch potatoes call, "an exercise nut."

A Final Encouragement
These tips are intended to get you off the coach and on your way to a healthy lifestyle. The hardest thing about getting in shape is to just start moving from a dead stop. But if you've been sedentary for a long time, you may well have issues that require attention from a health professional. This may be the first step for you, but please don't make it your last.

More Challenges

Seems I can't get away from challenges. Just one day after posting about Running Mom's 13 13.1s in 2013 Challenge, I go to church, open the bulletin and read this sermon title: Challenges for A.D. 2013.

Fair enough. In my view, the spiritual challenges far outweigh the physical. Like St. Paul said;

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. (I Timothy 4:8)

So here are the challenges my Pastor, Len Liu, threw down:

• Read the entire Bible before next Christmas;
• Keep a prayer journal;
• Invite someone into your home every month;
• Encourage someone everyday.  

That's a tall order. But as I think of how this would bless those around me, and bring glory to God, I can't help but try. Will I miss the mark? More than likely. But God's mercies are new every morning. So when I stumble, I know I can always get back up and keep pressing on. Again, taking my lead from Paul:

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14)

The more I read Paul, the more I'm convinced he was a runner too.

13 13.1s in 2013 Challenge

Yikes.

So last year I did this exactly twice: run 13.1 miles. Truth be told, that was two more times than I had planned in January. But, still...

So then Heather Winkler, aka Running Mom, sets up this 13 13.1s in 2013 Challenge. The idea is straight forward: run 13 half marathons in 2013. Now Heather did stipulate that these don't all have to be official races (very expensive) - training runs count and marathons count for two.

I'm a sucker for challenges. So I'm in.

I'm looking at two marathons this year: the Instant Classic Trail Run in March, and the Richmond Marathon in November. Hopefully I can squeeze the Ashland Half Marathon in as well because that race is just so much fun. Who doesn't love a hill that stretches from mile 11 to mile 12?

Add in the training runs and I should at least get close.

If you want to take a shot at this challenge, visit Heather's blog Diary of  a Running Mom.